Halloween should be fun, but every year it gets scarier for parents, and the planet. Discoveries such as lead in fake teeth as well as face paints and candy, carcinogenic chemicals found in costumes and candy, and the surmounting garbage left in the holiday’s wake make many of us wonder why we haven’t given up the festivities and spent October 31 watching It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. The good news is there are loads of children, and earth-friendly alternatives to the usual Halloween fare, and they can be fun, too. The answer: Celebrate a Green Halloween®!

It might seem that planning a Green Halloween is just too much work and way too expensive. Some fear it might even zap the fun right out of the day. But creating an eco-savvy Halloween doesn’t have to be scary, nor does it have to cost an arm and a leg. Not only does Green Halloween show us how to make choices, it also lessens the load by giving us a great portion of the solutions. We do the research; you have the fun!

Two of Daytona Beach’s upcoming Green Halloween events are both taking place on Saturday, October 29th and both are FREE of admission charges.

Hallogreen® is taking place from 8-2pm in City Island Park near 105 E Magnolia Avenue, Daytona Beach, 32118.

The Green Pumpkin 50/50 Challenge is taking place at the Port Orange Green Market from 8-12noon at 5501 S Williamson Boulevard.

The 3rd annual Hallogreen® festival is our local signature event, incorporating just about every aspect Green Halloween works to get people to consider when making more sustainable choices. Eek-O Costume contests for both kids and dogs. Treat-or-Treasuring (cuz we don’t trick). Paddle boarding lessons on the Halifax River. Our vendors list features over thirty eco vendors including nonprofits with eco and family friendly missions, local agriculturists and urban farmers and growers, handmade local crafters, holistic pet adoption, natural alternatives to beauty and health, upcyclers, arts and crafters, and more…you get the picture.

The Green Pumpkin 50/50 Challenge is based on a Yale study where children were given a choice between a healthy treat or toy or conventional candy Over 50% chose the healthy treat or toy, and we are psyched to see if we reach the same results (Our sponsors treats are so delicious, we might even beat the statistic. ;-D ) Activities include pumpkin crafts, face painting, a Silent-Auction and contest for Jack-o-lanterns carved by local Port Orange restaurants and chefs, and more.

Vendors:

Over 30 vendors will be featured at the Green Pumpkin including Thirty One Gifts, Amanda’s Dance, Smart Start Tutoring, Little Gym, Inspiration Learning Center, and Florida EcoNet and Green Halloween®.

Calling ALL Eco Businesses and organizations,

We’re very excited to announce that we will no longer have our event on the pavement…(HURRAY!)…instead, the City of Daytona Beach has allowed us to move the Hallogreen to City Island Park overlooking the Halifax River, where we will be trailing the vendors nicely around the sidewalk area. We are very grateful to Daytona Market, LLC for sponsoring this new location. Be sure to ask Cheryl Kelly about Daytona Markets and the City of Daytona Beach’s plans for their upcoming CITY MARKET (public market). Can’t you just picture the sparkling glimmer of the water and feel that City Island breeze?

Well, the other good thing is that this change provides a bigger location, which means we can potentially accept more vendors. So we have extended the completed applicationdeadline to Saturday, October 22nd. If you have not yet sent your application, please do so asap, and be sure to tell any and all of your friends about this spook-tacular event.

Thank you to Fox 35 Orlando for giving us the opportunity to spread the message about Green Halloween and Daytona Beach’s upcoming Eek-O Freaky Costume Swap. The Fox 35 team was so hospitable. It was truly a pleasure to be a guest on their show.

The scary truth about most store-bought costumes is that nearly all are made with less than natural fabrics and many contain harmful chemicals that are absorbed into the body through the skin, mouth (think Dracula teeth), or through inhalation.” from the book Celebrate Green! by Corey Colwell-Lipson & Lynn Colwell

Four years ago when I started as a Green Halloween® coordinator, I couldn’t find anything eco friendly unless I decided to go to the local thrift and reduce-reuse-recylce…recreate! Nowadays there are multiple companies making costumes from natural fabrics and lead and mercury free dyes (like jute, hemp, organic cotton or silk, or flax fiber), and increasing sources where the average retail customer can buy fabric to make their own bio-boo creation…however not all of them are easily available in our local market, as most of our sources are only available online.

Green Halloween® approached the eeko-o costume dilema in a most ingenious way, by launching National Costume Swap Day in 2010. Daytona Beach is hosting our second Eek-O Freaky Costume Swap this year. Details below:

KIDS CRAFT: Children ages 1 to 13 can enter to win the ChicoBag™ art contest by drawing a design that best captures the “Spirit of a Green Halloween®” using the provided ChicoBag™ design template and medium of choice.

Costume Swaps are a terrific way to have the same variety as shopping in a store, but without increasing the waste added to the landfill, and saving money in the process. People bring complete costumes as well as remnants of costumes for dogs, kids and adults. It’s all welcome as long as the remnants and complete costumes are free of tears and stains, and in good condition. (In other words, the patrons are always happy to share and trade).

If you don’t have a costume to share, you can still do your part to reduce the waste added to the landfill and help others stretch their budget by following the suggestions below:

How about purchasing costumes from a thrift store to trade or donate, or better yet,

ask your neighbors if they have a few they would like to remove from their household.

I remember when I was little, my sister (who is much older than I) used to drive herself crazy trying to figure out ways to keep me busy. Then she discovered that the easiest way was to just give me a bunch of “junk” and let me make my own masterpieces.

I remember spending whole days gluing, and fixing, wiring and sewing costumes, crowns (most of which ended up on my overfed–indulged–lovey cat Mittens), bookmarks, bookcovers, and anything else I could think to make. Through the eyes of a child, everything has potential, and the possibilities are endless.

Below are a few links to some crafts for nifty items perfect for Halloween, and versatile enough to be applied to just about any other holiday or gift. First learn the skill, then use your imagination to discover the possibilities.